Rape defendant faces more charges

A Bellevue man accused of raping a child has been charged with several more sex-related offenses.

Victor Veliz, 39, of 131 Hobson St., now faces four charges of importuning and two counts of gross sexual imposition. The felonies, filed in Bellevue Municipal Court on Tuesday, cover two different victims and are in addition to two counts of rape that were filed earlier.

The suspected victims are two Bellevue girls who are 13 and 15 years old. Officials with Huron County Children Services have interviewed both girls.

Bellevue Police Detective Eric Burt, who arrested Veliz on Friday morning, said the charges cover the "past several years."

"I don't have exact dates," Burt said.

One girl accused Veliz of sexually abusing her two years ago when she was 11 and touching her inappropriately.

"She was interviewed (Monday). We found out about the abuse with her Friday," Burt said.

The older victim has accused Veliz of raping her multiple times in 2010 at his Hobson Street home, the detective said. Interim Chief Matt Johnson has said the incident "wasn't a one-time deal," but was part of ongoing abuse.

Burt, who investigated the case, explained how investigators received that information. He said the girl told a friend, who then told her mother and the mother told the suspected victim "she needed to speak to her own mother about what's going on."

The investigation started the night of Sept. 19. Burt has interviewed four people: The girls, Veliz and his wife.

Bellevue police haven't received any previous criminal complaints about Veliz.

"It's not somebody we normally come across. This is only thing we have on him," Burt said.

Veliz must post a $220,000 bond before being released from the Huron County Jail.